With five counties - Kerry no longer compete in the Munster championship - there are 10 different pairings possible.

2007: Limerick v Waterford

2006, 05, 00: Tipperary v Cork

2003, 04: Cork v Waterford

2002: Tipperary v Waterford

2001, 1997: Tipperary v Limerick

1999: Cork v Clare

1998: Waterford v Clare

1997, 93: Tipperary v Clare

1994, 95: Limerick v Clare

1992: Cork v Limerick

And all five have claimed the Munster title at least twice in that same period - in fact, even Kerry have won a Munster senior hurling championship title, albeit back in 1891!

In contrast, there have only been three different pairings in the Leinster hurling finals in the same period, all involving Kilkenny, Wexford and Offaly.

2007, 2006, 05, 03, 02, 01, 1997, 93, 92: Kilkenny v Wexford

2000, 1999, 98, 95: Kilkenny v Offaly

2004, 1996, 94: Wexford v Offaly

All 10 combinations by the five counties currently competing in the Leinster hurling championship have been exhausted at some stage, but you have to go back to the deciders in the 1940s to find Laois playing Kilkenny (1949, they won) and Dublin (1949, they lost).

The other combinations (and the last time they met in the final):

1991: Kilkenny v Dublin

1990: Dublin v Offaly

1985: Laois v Offaly

1961: Wexford v Dublin

1951: Wexford v Laois

1949: Kilkenny v Laois

1948: Dublin v Laois

And, of course, it is a long time since Laois and Dublin held the bragging rights in the Leinster hurling championship - Laois defeated Kilkenny in the 1949 decider, while Dublin last won in 1961, against Wexford.

Though, of course, anyone attending yesterday's Leinster final needed no reminding of the lack of competitiveness in the province.

Next weekend . . .

Saturday

All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers - Round One

Limerick v Louth, Gaelic Grounds, 7pm

Mayo v Cavan, Castlebar, 7pm

Down v Meath, Newry, 7pm

Roscommon v Kildare, Hyde Park, 3pm

Westmeath v Longford, Cusack Park, 5pm

Leitrim v Donegal, Carrick-on-Shannon, 7pm

Tommy Murphy Cup - Round One

Waterford v Carlow, Dungarvan, 7pm

Wicklow v Offaly, Aughrim, 7pm

Tipperary v Clare, Ardfinnan, 7pm

London v Antrim, Ruislip, 3pm

All-Ireland SHC Qualifiers - Round Two

Antrim v Laois, Casement Park, 3pm

Clare v Galway, Cusack Park, 7.30pm

Dublin v Tipperary, Parnell Park, 3pm

Cork v Offaly, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 3pm

Christy Ring Cup - Round Four

Kerry v Down, Tralee, 3pm

Mayo v Westmeath, Castlebar, 5.15pm

Carlow v Derry, Dr Cullen Park, 12.30pm

Kildare v London, Clane, 3pm

Nicky Rackard Cup - Round Three

Tyrone v Sligo, Omagh, 3pm

Donegal v Leitrim, Letterkenny, 3pm

Monaghan v Roscommon, Clones, 3pm

Cavan v Warwickshire, Breffni Park, 3pm

Sunday

Munster SHC - Final

Waterford v Limerick, Semple Stadium, 4pm

Connacht SFC - Final

Sligo v Galway, Hyde Park, 2pm

All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers - Round One

Fermanagh v Laois, Clones, 2pm

Armagh v Derry, Clones, 4pm

Parlay - (Senior Football Championship)

Playing it safe . . .

Mayo, Donegal, Galway & Armagh 5/3

Going for broke . . .

Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo & Derry 432/1

(Odds courtesy of Paddy Power)

• Kilkenny handed out a beating - and also received one - at the weekend. While the hurlers sauntered to the Leinster title again, the county's footballers were annihilated 3-32 to 1-0 by Division Four outfit Antrim in the Tommy Murphy Cup!

Surely it's time the GAA forced every county to give the players in both codes some support - and were forced to treat both hurling and football with respect.

Stand by for what we believe will be the biggest two days in the GAA's history.

At least in quantity.

Don't blink or you'll miss something . . .

Next weekend, every county - bar Kilkenny and Wexford - will be fielding either their senior hurlers or senior footballers (and most will be fielding both) in championship action.

Between provincial hurling and football finals, All-Ireland senior hurling and football qualifiers, the Tommy Murphy Cup, the Christy Ring Cup and the Nicky Rackard Cup there are no fewer than 26 senior intercounty matches scheduled for decision.

If Wexford's footballers had beaten Laois and Kilkenny's footballers had beaten Antrim at the weekend, every county would have been involved next weekend. In fact, when you add in Warwickshire and London, 32 different intercounty teams will be still be taking to the field. Choices, choices.

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